Kevin Clash, the voice of Sesame Street’s Elmo for 28 years, has been cleared of three charges of sexual abuse after an appeals court threw out the cases.

Clash, 53, was accused by multiple men of sexually abusing them over 10 years ago when they were minors. Multiple lawsuits were filed, but in July 2013, a New York judge said that the claims were made too late, as they were outside the state’s statute of limitations, which provides that a lawsuit has to be filed within six years of the event or three years after a plaintiff turns 21.

Clash’s three accusers brought their cases to the U.S. Court of Appeals, alleging the psychological effects of the abuse weren’t fully realized until 2012. But this month, the cases were again dismissed.

Clash resigned from his job as the voice of Elmo in 2012 after the allegations of improper sexual relations with minors became public. He has denied any wrongdoing from the beginning, saying that any relationships he engaged in occurred between consenting adults.

It’s a shame those young men endured all that only for someone to tell them they can’t seek justice because the statue of limitations has expired.